Zombies Vs. Cheerleaders #1

June 14, 2011

Title: Pep Rallies and Body Tallies

Writer: Steven L. Frank
Art: Ben Glendenning, Jessica Hickman, Frankie B. Washington, David Namisato
Colorist: Anthony Hochrein, David Namisato
Letterer: Josh Aitken
Logo and Layout: Nicole Goff
Cover: Jason Worthington
Editor: Steven L. Frank    
Publisher: Moonstone Publishing

Horror and comedy is always a promising combination, and I like the mix of the two very much. It’s even better when they bring in the tropes of a B movie, where the combination seems to work the best. This issue, though, with the a promising title, is too low quality even to live up to the B-movie pedigree. In “Zombies vs. Cheerleaders,” a teenager tired of being bullied by the jocks whips up a new chemical that turns his biology teacher into a zombie, unleashing a plague that quickly spreads across the school. Soon, the only ones left to turn the tide are the cheerleading squad. It’s a ridiculous, and very funny idea, but the execution falls flat. The jokes don’t hit home and the pacing of the script is very weak. The four different chapters (one of which is labeled a “bonus chapter” for no apparent reason) each have a different artist. Three of the four are good (the third chapter is sloppy as hell), but none of them really fit one another. They all look like they came from completely different comic books, and that’s not a good thing. This could be a really funny comic, but this first issue doesn’t work.

Rating: 5/10

Teen Titans Go! #17

March 28, 2005

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Anger Management

The Titans help Hotspot learn to curb his temper.

Writer: J. Torres
Pencils: Mike Norton
Inks: Lary Stucker
Colors: Heroic Age
Letters: Pat Brosseau
Editor: Tom Palmer Jr.
Cover Art: Sean Galloway
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

We get another pretty solid issue in this title that spins off of the popular Cartoon Network series. The quasi-Titan named Hotspot gets into a little trouble when his uncontrollable temper leads to the villain called Adonis slipping through the team’s fingers. To prevent a reoccurrence of this, each of the members decides to show him how to control his temper – with varying degrees of success.

This is a good issue, a pretty funny one. As you’d expect, the attempts to give Hotspot a cooler head are quite amusing. It’s low on action but high on comedy, which is to be expected. It’s aimed at the younger readers, but not to a degree that the adults who browse through it will be bored. It will work for anyone who’s a genuine fan of the television series.

Speaking of the television series, Mike Norton does a really impressive job with the artwork when it comes to capturing the same art and style you get when you watch the show. The only thing that still doesn’t really work for me are the frequent lapses into overly-cartoony bits for asides or quick jokes. Apparently this is something you see with the more Manga style the title is going for, but it’s not something I really care for.

Overall, it’s a decent book if you like the show.

Rating: 7/10

Thor (2007 Series) #4

November 13, 2007

Quick Rating: Good
Title: No Borders
Rating: T+

A journey to Africa sends Don Blake into the hands of more lost Asgardians.

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Pencils: Oliver Coipel
Inks: Mark Morales
Colors: Laura Martin
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Warren Simons
Cover Art: Oliver Coipel
Publisher: Marvel Comics

This issue Donald Blake joins the ranks of Doctors Without Borders, an international relief organization who sends medical assistance to the harshest places on Earth. As luck would have it, his first assignment in Dabran, Africa brings him near some of the lost Asgardians that his alter-ego, Thor, is seeking across the globe.

The cover somewhat gives away the identity of just who Thor finds in this remote part of Africa, but the story is still strong enough to get us there, and the characters are old favorites, so seeing them again is certainly a treat. Straczynski takes an approach here that almost feels like it would fit in with his Squadron Supreme, applying his superheroes to a real-world situation and actually putting them to use in a way we don’t often see in mainstream comics.

The only real problem here is the question of how long Straczynski can keep this up. The whole angle of seeking lost Asgardians can only last so long. Fortunately, by the end of this issue it seems like he may have fond a different angle to take, which will hopefully work out for the story.

Oliver Coipel’s artwork really is impressive here. He manages to drop Thor and the other Asgardians in the middle of Africa without making them look particularly out-of-place. (Well, no more out of place than a Norse god would look anywhere in the 21st century.) Also – in case I hadn’t mentioned it before – I really like his redesign of Thor’s costume. His nose is a bid odd – a bit bulky – but other than that, he looks good.

Decent issue, with no real complaints.

Rating: 7/10